When The Kiev Army Has No More Tanks

The military operation in Donbass resulted for the Ukrainian army in huge losses of weapons – first of all, tanks. It has been estimated that during hostilities of 2014 the Military Forces of Ukraine (MFU) lost up to 200 tanks destroyed or taken by the adversary. The resumption of the active hostilities naturally leads to new losses. From the beginning of 2015 through the mid-February 50 tanks were destroyed, at least 40 taken, and a number damaged and had to be removed for repairs. Therefore, in a month or so of fighting Kiev lost more than 100 tanks, or at least 300 from the beginning of the military campaign. The age factor is also worth noting – most tanks in the army of Ukraine were produced about 30 years ago. This further increases the rate of breakups and malfunctions.

Can no longer do it by themselves

Theoretically, MFU could still make up for losses, since in addition to 600 T-64 that the army had at the beginning of hostilities (although not all of them were operational), warehouses stored additional 600 T-64, 600 T-72, and 150 T-80. However, there were serious problems with the introductions of these machines into the active army. First, back in summer at least 300 of stored T-72 were deemed unsuitable for repairs. In reality, many of these units are now just carcasses of tanks after having been dismantled to fulfill export contracts. Total up to 800 tanks of this type were sold during the period of independence, while remaining served as the source of spare parts. Although T-64 was not exported (with the exception of a few tanks sold in the fall of 2014), unsuitable storage conditions led to failure of many units and external equipment.

The President and Minister of Defense of Ukraine solemnly presented modernized and reconditioned weapons to representative of military units. Judging by the photos of these events, total of about a hundred of repaired and refurbished tanks were transferred. At least a third of them are tanks intended for export to Congo and Nigeria and produced in the prewar time. It is also worth noting that the transfer of 31 tanks (a battalion) refurbished in the tank repairing facility in Lvov ended up in a scandal. After the ceremonious presentation by the President, the commander of the tank battalion of the 14th tank brigade refused to accept the machines because of their unsatisfactory technical condition. Soon after all of them were returned to the facility for additional repairs.

Interestingly, according to the general director of the Malishev factory who was present at one of those ceremonious transfers, his plant managed to repair up to 20 damaged in battle tanks “Bulat” – Ukrainian modification of T-64 – in three months. Considering that the Lvov facility and Malishev factory are the best-preserved enterprises of the kind, the whole Ukrainian industry is hardly capable of providing more than one tank battalion a month. This means that it would need to work for 3-4 months to make up for losses incurred in one month.

As to the supplies of new rather than refurbished machines, here the prospects are even less optimistic. The only factory in Ukraine capable of producing new tanks is the Malishev factory in Kharkov. According to its general director Nikolai Belov, the current production cycle for a tank is 9 months. It is unclear how many tanks the factory can produce simultaneously. Based on the most optimistic assessment of “Ukroboronprom” (the Ukrainian state-owned corporation of military enterprises), in 2015 the Ukrainian tank industry will be able to produce up to 40 new tanks. This number doesn’t look so small, particularly taking into account that in the last two years the factory produced no more than 10 new machines. But it will still be necessary to find reliable suppliers to replace some Russian-produced components, if the production is to reach even these numbers, modest as they are in comparison with the demands of the front.

At the beginning of February, the government approved the state military contract for 2015. And although the document is considered top secret, several politicians have already criticized it, thereby partially revealing is content. From their statements, in particular, it is clear that the main emphasis is on the production and repair of tanks, and that considerable funds will be spend for this purpose. It is important to bear in mind, though, that, eager to secure financing, many Ukrainian enterprises apparently considerably overstate their capabilities. The problem seems so serious that the head of the Council of the National Security and Defense Turchonov suggested punishment for the failure to fulfill the state defense contracts. According to him, the failures to carry out work according to contracts have become widespread in the industry. This looks logical considering that the Ukrainian industry suffers from the deficit of not only production capacity but also of workers. The hope to find several thousand qualified workers for the monthly salary of $80-100 today appears like heavy irony.

Bearing in mind everything said above, if the fighting is resumed the tank units in the Kiev army will either be shrinking at the accelerating rate or will require import of ready to go tanks. If such import does not come, two or three more battles at the scale of Debaltsevo cauldron – and MFU will be facing serious shortages in tank units.

Will abroad help?

Obviously, for a quick fix, MFU will have to import tanks exclusively of the Soviet origin. Taking into accounts the specifics of the Soviet export and the current international situation, only tanks T-72 available in the Eastern Europe fit the bill. Totally, about 800 tanks of this type are today in the armies of Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and some other republics of the former Yugoslavia; 500 of them in the army of Poland. Additional 600 tanks are stored in warehouses in these countries. Naturally, these tanks are all in different technical conditions, which even the local Ministries of Defense, the same as in Ukraine, will not be able to assess. Nevertheless, MFU theoretically could count on several hundreds of tanks from these countries. However, such plans at this point meet with multiple difficulties.

First, it is important to note that Ukraine has a serious competitor looking to buy tanks T-72 in Europe – Iraq. The military of that country suffers serious losses in heavy weapons in the fighting with Islamic groups. Out of 150 tanks “Adams” supplied by the US, the Iraqi tank units lost close to a half. They also lose tanks of the Soviet origin at a similar rate. Back in 2009, the Iraq Ministry of Defense announced the intent to buy up to 2,000 T-72 machines. In reality, later only Hungary supplied 77 tanks from its storage, and they were modernized in American facilities. Additionally, Bulgaria supplied armored machines, not tanks, but universal trucks MT-LB from old stocks.

With the start of hostilities in Iraq in summer of 2014, the question again arose regarding the export of weapons from Europe. In July, the leaders of the EU officially recognized the need to support Iraq with weapons. The first countries announcing the delivery of tanks were Hungary and Czech Republic. In summer, a well-publicized group of 58 Hungarian T-72 tanks that was supposed to be delivered to Ukraine were in reality sent instead to Czech Republic for refurbishing. And today the effort of Czech repairmen is concentrated on fulfilling contracts with Iraq and Nigeria. In January, Ukrainian airplane “Mria” delivered to Africa 16 tanks for the Nigerian military. Several media sources interpreted this event as the beginning of arming of Ukraine by Eastern European countries. Interestingly, according to the statement of the Czech firm “Escalibur” that is engaged in the export of refurbished tanks, the contract with Iraq on the export of more than a hundred of units of tanks will fill the production capacity of the enterprise for two years. So, Ukraine will have to wait for a long time to obtain tanks from Czech Republic. The second supplier for these contracts – Hungary – today has only several dozens of these machines left that require repair and reconditioning and will not help Kiev in any way.

Poland, naturally, appears to be the most realistic option as a supplier. In Soviet times, that country used to produce T-72 by license and possesses to this day the most extensive tank arsenal in Eastern Europe. In addition to 530 T-72 in use by the Polish Army, 200-300 units are in storage. So far nothing is known about the plans to supply heavy weapons from Poland to Iraq, so it could be expected that Polish tank reserves would be available to help MFU. However, there are objective difficulties here as well.

First, the Polish tank industry itself is not in the best shape. After signing in 2003 the contract with Malaysia to deliver 48 tanks RT-91 (an improved version of Polish T-72), the Poles were 2 years late in fulfilling it because of the production problems. Things hardly improved since then. So, the program of modernization of 40 tanks for the Polish army itself in 2011-2013 dragged for three years. Of course, refurbishing tanks after storage and modernization are not at all the same things. Nevertheless, it would not do to count on the great capacity of the Polish industry – it will also not be able to catch up with the MFU losses.

It would similarly be unwise to write off the position of Polish officials. It has been said multiple times in the Ministry of Defense of the republic that Poland would arm Ukraine only if there is the collective decision of NATO and the EU. The Poles have no intentions of getting embroiled on their own in the conflict with Russia because of Ukraine. No less important condition is the full payment for the weapons by the Ukrainian side – the neighbors do not intend to give out free gifts to Kiev. The words of the Minister of Defense Tomas Semonyak that Poland is ready to sell tanks RT-1 to Ukraine any time sounded like sarcasm. The truth is that this stealth technology-based machine currently exists as a single experimental unit, and its production could even hypothetically start no earlier than 2018. However, Ukrainian media did not understand sarcasm and in fall of last year spread the victorious news that Poland was about to start supplying Ukraine with invisible tanks.

Bulgaria could be another source of tanks, since that country might have in storage as many as 150 tanks. However, Bulgaria also sees more attractive prospects in the Iraq market. In an attempt to secure contracts from Iraq, Bulgarian officials even openly bribed Iraq giving away 18 howitzers D-20 from the army storage as well as several thousand units of small arms. This was done, undoubtedly, in the hope of a larger weapon contract.

Furthermore, Bulgaria does not have adequately developed industry, and the condition of tanks even in the army units is far from ideal. The parliamentary report published in the fall of 2014 stated that only 20% of Bulgarian tanks T-72 have required spare parts, and 80% of tank batteries have served their resource and are exceedingly unreliable. Therefore, their own stores of T72 tanks are becoming for the Bulgarian army today nothing more that the source of spare parts for those 80 tanks of that model that are still in the active army units.

As to the facilities capable of repairing tanks, during the years after the breakup of the Warsaw Pact the country lost the potential of its industrial-military complex to a large degree. Factories possess neither qualified personnel in sufficient number, nor equipment to be able to produce enough tanks required by the scale of the Ukrainian front. For example, during 2013 and 2014 many meetings took place in the “TEREM-Khan Krum” plant, which is the main tank repairing facility in the country, demanding to pay back wage arrears. The plant has been on the verge of bankruptcy for many years as well as in the epicenter of corruption scandals.

Romanian enterprises, by the way, are in a similar position. That country has no stores of T-72, and the military is armed with totally outdated T-55, but Romania is hardly in a position even to help with the repairs of tanks from other countries. During the last 25 years, the Romanian military industry has been constantly “reformed”, or, more precisely, simply disintegrated. By 2014, many enterprises were on the verge of bankruptcy. Only in May of 2014, the government forgiving the military industry $200 million debt started to reanimate the remaining facilities. Romania perceived the conflict in Ukraine as a threat to its own security, particularly bearing in mind the possibility of thawing the conflict in Transnistria. Possessing the most outdated army in Eastern Europe, the Romanians are today facing the necessity to quickly modernize their military. Naturally, the Ukrainian problems appear to them secondary.

As far as the countries of the former Yugoslavia are concerned, Serbia is the only country with reasonable resources, but Serbia, for obvious reasons, will not be helping Kiev against Russia. Slovakia, which has in storage at least a hundred of T-72 as well as leftovers of the military industry from the Soviet times, holds a similar position and spoke out many times against arming Ukraine.

Therefore, it could be noted that there is a theoretical possibility of obtaining tanks in Eastern Europe. The best option for Ukraine would be direct transfer of battle-ready tanks from the army units. If we ignore the political aspect of the situation, such action would be, of course, unacceptable for the Eastern European military. In spite of the increased tension in Europe, military budgets in most of these countries not only are not increasing but keep declining remaining, at best, at the level of last year. Therefore, Eastern Europe simply cannot afford to give away their army weapons. Even if a theoretical possibility to replace tanks supplied to Ukraine by the eastern allies by tanks from the US and Germany exists, there is simply not enough machines to match the Ukrainian demands. The countries bordering Ukraine are not satisfied with the size of their own military forces, and all are now asking for reinforcement with the contingents from the US and Western Europe.

Speaking about a more realistic possibility, i.e. repairs and supplying weapons from storage, this could be successful provided there was a unified political will in Europe and mobilization of industrial capabilities in Eastern Europe as well as in Western countries. For the supplies of tanks to Ukraine to play a significant role, they must become an all-European business. It is not realistic to make secrete deliveries due to time required to make the machines ready and also because of the tanks’ foreign origin, which would be immediately discovered when they appear in the front. This would, in its turn, mean further aggravation of the political crisis in Europe. So far, there is no united will in the West when in come to arming Ukraine. The leader of the EU – Germany – is against supplying Ukraine with weapons. At least, for now. Such countries, as Czech Republic and Slovakia that theoretically could become the centers of tank preparations for Ukraine, are also dead set against such deliveries. The Czech Republic stopped selling even capsules for pistol cartridges to Ukraine. Poland, although maintaining a position loyal to Maidan, has neither desire nor resources to get embroiled in the conflict on its own. It also demands full payment for its weapons. Moreover, Poland, like nobody else, overprices its weapons – at some point, it sold to Malaysia pretty outdated PT-91 for $5.5 million apiece.

Thus, it could be concluded that at this time the only more or less realistic option for Kiev is to establish the supply line of spare parts and components of tanks from the Eastern European countries. However, such supplies on the large scale appear unlikely, unless the West makes a collective decision to help The possibility of such deliveries should not be altogether excluded – Kiev will, most likely, make a determined effort to make them happen. Kiev will be most interested in tank engines that at this moment are the most problematic component for the Ukrainian tank manufacturers. Nevertheless, by all indications, Ukraine will have to solve the tank problem by itself, at least, for the forthcoming months. This means that if the hostilities resume the tank component of the MFU will definitely do down at a significant rate.

The Essential Saker II: Civilizational Choices and Geopolitics / The Russian challenge to the hegemony of the AngloZionist Empire

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A good report showing what the Eastern European countries have done to their own industrial resources.Before the end of the Cold War they actually had industries in those countries.Certainly they might not have been the “glittering,fancy” industry in the West.But they worked, producing needed goods.And employed their citizens with paying jobs.Now after sell-offs,privatization,and closures.They can’t even manage to repair their military equipment correctly.

and best of all, after industry disintegrated in Croatia (not just defense) and people are massively emigrating, labor minister talks about importing 300000 additional workers to help hollow pension funds. how stupid is that?

That is because the “leaders” don’t care about the physical existence of the Croatian people (and the same throughout EE).Their only interests are their personal benefit.They just happen to live in Croatia.But their view is a Europe-wide upper class view.Croatia,and the Croatian people are merely the source of their wealth.Have you ever asked yourself why the Empire wants the world split more and more into smaller areas.Why did they push to break-up,and not just “reform” Yugoslavia.Why do they want to split the Middle East.Why do they want to break-up Russia and China,etc.The smaller and de-nationalized the countries are, the easier it is to control them.And co-opt the ruling elites in those small states.The US didn’t invent the idea.But they have made it their policy for divide and conquer,for world domination.

A big chunk of the “business” was done due to centralized procurement of the former Warsaw Pact. Once this organization disolved, the markets collapsed. Some factories could have survived such a catastrophe by developing new products or redesigning the old onces.This however required managers with experience on the non-OstBlock markets and capital resources.

Additionally, you had to face new international competition and a different level of quality expectations. With weak pro-market mentality of factory boards combined with various interest of people who were active in export-import organizations of the former post-communists countries, people, who were following their own interests, it seemed to me an unmanagable task to guide the economies to the new post-communist world without loss of tens of thousands of jobs.

That is where tariffs and protected markets come in.Those countries could have studied and adopted a gradual Chinese style approach,that would have put resources into vital industries for the national economies.But instead they looted the country.And sold anything they could to foreign interests.To people that cared only for profit.And nothing for the well being of the people in those countries.The elite de-nationalized themselves in their rush to be “good Europeans”,instead of good Poles,Czechs,Hungarians,etc,etc,etc.Now we see the Ukrainian elites following the same process that centuries ago turned the elites there then into Poles,instead of what they were,Rus.

This is not entirely true. The attempts to make the ordinary people share holders of the national industries were made by the national elites (voucher privatisation in Czechoslovakia), but they failed in some cases and were success in others. This is not something tarriffs and protection can resolve. A lot of companies were looted by new domestic management. Banks (peoples savings) and factories were looted as well by giving out/taking huge loans to/from guys who were never going to repay them, these were bailed out by tax payers later and only then sold to foreign investors. And the returns were just spent on projects chosen by the domestic political class with the biggest profit for themselvs, not the county. There is not much to blame the western elite for that.

I think the main reason they lost a more functional economy and industrialization is that the West came in and looted everything. The individual countries were none of them permitted a state-run central bank. Instead each central bank was “independent” (controlled by the international banking cabal thru the IMF). Thus, w no control over money creation, it was quite difficult to create domestic investment capital. All the profitable state-run businesses were already sold off to kleptocrats who gave up shares in them to Westerners in return for “protection” of these assets.

Today’s “independent” central banks all over the developing world, including Russia, are independent of the people’s representatives and the govt elected by them.

Yugoslavia during the breakup was producing one tank per day for export to the Middle East and that product was made jointly by Serbs and Croats I think in Slavonski Brod in Croatia. They shared the revenue.

Uncertain about the reference to ‘Adams’ tanks. Can’t find any reference to these. I think the author meant ‘Abrams’ tanks? Possibly an error in translation.

Abrams uses the Honeywell AGT1500 gas turbine engine. My understanding is that those engines are no longer made, that any serious mechanical breakdown means the engine must be returned to the Anniston Army Depot in Alabama, USA, to be rebuilt. And I think that is why the Iraqi Army ‘lost’ half of them, not due to operational destruction, they just break down and can’t be fixed with any speed, if at all.

I think Abrams are a pig in a poke. Good while they last, but they don’t mechanically last long. The only reason any sensible defence force would have them is because they are over-ridden by politics.

Those Russians with long memories (or the many who have studied the Great Patriotic War in any detail) will note the obvious parallel with German tanks. Machines like the Tiger and Panther were lovingly designed with very high levels of quality, but this severely restricted the number produced. Moreover, the Tigers were so heavy because of their massive armour that their engines and transmissions were very prone to breaking down.

The Soviet T34s were excellent all-round tanks, and could be produced in vast numbers. So even though hundreds of them were sometimes lost in a single failed attack, in the end they won by simply going round the hard Panzer kernels and doing what tanks do best – overrunning the rear areas. Moreover, Soviet vehicles and equipment were carefully designed to be easy to repair in the field, with as many parts as possible shared between different models. The Abrams is clearly a descendant of the Panthers and Tigers in this respect (although it is not underpowered).

It should also be noted the T-34’s had a simple yet revolutionary design: sloped armour. The T-34’s sloped armour deflected most of the incoming shell’s kinetic energy away from the tank, allowing each individual T-34 to carry less armour, thus allowing it to be lighter and more manoeuvrable, yet just as survivable as the Panthers carrying thicker armour.

Add to that that Russian HQ didn’t give a flying f*** about losses in the field [be it men or material], so the tank crew sat unprotected right next to the ammo and [in the beginning] communication with other tanks was impossible, because there was nothing to communicate with. The tank commander would ‘steer’ the driver with his feet and/or knees.

I’ve seen German footage of AT shells bounce of an approaching T-34. Quite scary actually, like a tiger coming at you, at full killing speed.

Interesting response. You may recall that late in 2012 (if I remember the date correctly) the US offered to give the Greeks 500 Abrams tanks and 800 M-113 APCs that were not considered worth hauling back to the states for repair. The Greek Army turned down the offer on the grounds that the it did not have the resources to repair the worn out tanks and the M-113s are militarily obsolete. The Americans do, however, have plenty (indeed an excess)of functional MBTs if the decision is made to hand them over. Let’s hope it isn’t. Tom Garrett

Thanks for the interesting article Denis, though that the Ukraine could purchase the extra tanks and/or parts it may need from Poland via the time honored method of delinquency of payment to ones debtor, especially to a debtor that has an enormous amount of political capital invested in continuing a successful proxy war against Russia. The logical development of course rather then being cut off or hauled of prison like the average proletariat in the u.s would mean opening the credit line further, yes no doubt yatsenyiuk and poroshenko are trying there darndest to figure out what they can auction off from state assets to raise additional finances and push cuts in other sectors of the government as much as possible, but I am going to assume these would be peanuts compared to utilizing the 40 billion dollar loans could provide for paying for the equipment they want.
Also the peace does provide the time necessary for buying the equipment wholesale and then disassembling what ones needs, though the other possibility that time will provide is of course familiarizing ones military with an entirely different brand of equipment, a brand provided by the this very generous creditor with so much political capital vested in its proxy war on Russia…

I dunno Jonathan. I do believe that anything like a modern tank costs more than $6 milion. How many wd anyone be inclined to buy for an army which allowed well over a hundred tanks to be surrendered in a cauldron? Even the ammo is expensive.

I think Poland is already hip to the possibility of delinquency. I don’t have a cite but I remember talk a few months ago from Poland specifically about not giving things for free to Ukraine. Anybody anywhere is going to want good funds guaranteed to sell anything to Ukraine.

“For evidence of how much President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has jangled nerves and provoked anxiety across Eastern Europe, look no farther than the….” NYT.

If the NYT isn’t being busy warmongering via its opeds to get us to fight all of the Apartheid State’s enemies, it turns to the other cheek, even darker side of fear mongering. Any which way, its a win-win situation for the Sulzberger family.

Eimar: What a cynical article! It says Turkey’s becoming authoritarian, while NATO’s charter says it’s founded on the principles of democracy as much as defense. I guess that’s why the US is always Commander and the EU is not allowed to have its own foreign policy or its own army.

Then I quote:

“For months, the Western allies have pressured Turkey to close its porous border, which has allowed thousands of jihadists to cross into Syria to join the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, and has enabled ISIS to smuggle in weapons and smuggle out oil on which it relies for revenue.”

This comment by Scanfish is a good precis of Nutty’s/AIPAC’s real aim, using Natoised Turkey as the ‘back-door’:

The end game is to seize Iran’s Pars gas field, which is one half of the same field in Qatar and combined is the largest gas field in the world, objective being to supplant Russia as Europe’s principal suppliers, undermine Russia’s economy, and with US puppets like Qatar as suppliers, the final act in Europe’s complete colonisation via TTIP becomes a cake walk.The Euros have been reluctant to sign on to TTIP considering that a massive alternative and far more lucrative Eurasian economic deal consisting of a French-German-Russia-China trade block is already on the table, and a block that will effectively reduce the US to a regional trade power. This is the reason for US desperation and dangerous recklessness in both the ME (to clear a route for the Pars field pipeline to Europe), and in Ukraine, to cleave a wedge between Russia and Europe and prevent any trade pacts by making the two become enemies./

i read this months ago; note article is january says test is now here march 2015.
note this is to be the mini-me version, slung under a fighter, so they reduced its size & weight.

The launch has been planned on the sidelines of the visit of Russian Defence Minister General Sergei Shoigu to the BrahMos Aerospace Headquarters, said Sudhir Mishra, CEO and Managing Director of BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited (BAPL), on Wednesday.

Informing this over phone from Delhi, Mishra said, “If everything goes according to the programme, the live test flight of the missile will be carried out from Su-30MKI fighter aircraft in March. Both the launcher and missile are ready. Now, interface of the missile with the aircraft is on. There will be a dummy test before the actual drop test,” he said.

Sources said the drop test is likely to be conducted off the Odisha coast while the dummy test will take place in Pokharan.

I was impressed be the research detail of this article. Perhaps the tank issues will also be manifest in replacement Ukrainian helicopters and planes.

It was also reported last Spring that Ukraine tanks in storage in Kharkov were found to contain sugar in the fuel tank that carbonized the engines when they were started up. Perhaps just enough sugar to prevent the sabotage from being uncovered until after most of the tanks were started up. A really effective way to destroy the tank engines!

For NATO, the standardization of weapons to US made ones is a key goal.
I am sure the US would be more than happy to swap Russian made tanks in Poland with Abrams M1 tanks from the US desert South West “storage depot”. I would bet money that the US has a PMC cutout in place to carry out this transfer. Saudi Arabia have a couple thousand Abrams M2 tanks that might be available at the right price.

The US would be glad to send US made tanks, except the Ukrainian military is not keen on learning new skills. For example, Ukraine turned down “free” F18s offered by Canada.

The Ukies can have a zillion tanks and F-whatevers, but can they adequately train the manpower to use such weapons? It takes months if not years to gain the necessary training and, more importantly, experience to effectively use these weapons. The fact that the Ukies have lost so many tanks should illustrate their lack of training and/or motivation to fight.

posted few days ago fortruss article, Kiev can’t get any russ engines, spare parts for 30 year old rusting hulks, no one in Eu has similar or wishes to donate, and anyways to make them fit will be almost impossible.

As the chemistry.about page says:
“If the sugar got to the fuel injectors or cylinders, it would be nasty business for you and your car, but that would be because any particulate causes problems, not because of the chemical properties of sugar. That’s why you have a fuel filter.”

Better to toss a few handfuls of dirt or similar in, to clog the filters and sprinkle the sugar on your pancakes.

But there are all sorts of ways to kill an engine, gas or diesel, if you have access, but most of them don’t harm the block, cylinders, pistons, etc., which are pretty tough, and harder to get to. Best bet to that would be to remove air filter and put stuff in the intake manifold. Anything can be repaired, if you have parts and time but it could sure throw off your scheduled attack. You can also just glue the hatches or doors shut.

Documentary film from Germany on the Odessa Massacre of May 2, 2014
March 14, 2015

A new film examining the arson attack by right-wing extremists on the Trade Union House in central Odessa, Ukraine on May 2, 2014 has been released in Germany. ‘Wildfire: The Oddessa atrocities of May 2, 2014‘ is subtitled in English. The 45 minute film is produced by leftvision.de and Ulrich Heyden and Marco Benson.

This is a very interesting read on how former Warsaw Pact countries may or may not be helping Kiev with more tanks. Despite Poland and the Baltic states fierce saber rattling and vowing the destruction of Russia it is very clear that they are just rattling very old and rusty sabers.

However, worse comes to worse you can be sure US will do something to ensure the nazis got their tanks and to make sure more “Russians” die in Donbass with the blood of every last European!

Remember this – ‘After having initiated her well-planned Maidan Square uprising in Kiev in early 2014, triggering Europe’s worst conflict in Ukraine since the Balkan Wars of the 1990s, Victoria Nuland, the Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, recently attempted a Kiev-style putsch in Macedonia aimed at overthrowing that nation’s democratically-elected government of Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski’ –
Nuland attempts Kiev Version 2.0 in Skopje:http://m.strategic-culture.org/news/2015/02/16/nuland-attempts-kiev-version-2-skopje.html

Well, it failed – ‘As Russia begins to build a pipeline through Macedonia that could form the basis of a revised South Stream route, the Hungarian President is in talks with Erdogan over financing this enormous project.’

This wasn’t supposed to happen, at least not if the US had gotten its way in Macedonia last month. Understanding that it’s the crucial bottleneck through which Balkan Stream must run, Washington wanted to stage a coup in the country in order to install a new leader that would reject the project and put an end to the region’s plans for reliable energy transit.

Great news indeed, and thanks for the Madsen story link, I was out of touch with that. The US keeps using the old playbook but everyone knows how it works now. I wonder how much of this will come to public trials that name US officials?

“Nuland and her co-conspirators in Skopje are alarmed over the speed at which the Macedonian security services rounded up the coup plotters. Macedonian police, in raids conducted in Skopje and Veles, seized five laptop computers, three desktop computers, 19 mobile phones, 100 CDs and DVDs, 17 hard disks, and 9 savings deposit books used by the coup plotters, including a number linked to Soros-financed NGOs. The bank accounts of the plotters reportedly were flush with healthy cash deposits from the CIA as the date of the planned coup approached.”

Wow! Thanks! Not even Saker picked up Macedonia’s failed color revolution, or the other sites I monitor. Unfortunately, the Outlaw Empire won’t leave Europe in peace. It’s time Europeans recognize neither NATO or EU support their aspirations or needs and actually hinder their welfare, and to cast them off is the proper political & economic choice.

But similarly’considering AFN are relying on captured tanks,canabalising spares,aren’t they in the same situation, unless spares can come from russ,which in itself is problematic as they do not want to give another excuse for Nuland to her substantiate her rants. So will there be a point in time when Donbass as a constitutionally recognised entity due to Minsk can publicly receive russ tanks? but usa will claim that VP is definitely in an expansive mood we were right all along, or if ukr attacks again russ will be forced to supply military equipment more openly defend citizens?

If kiev has fewer tanks, only a percentage can be captured by NAF and repaired, and where is ammo coming from,certainly not in the white convoys. In the unlikely event of ukr becoming settled,would Donbass be required to surrender their armaments? This then begs the question, will DPR/LNR become a legally separate entity/country belonging or formally having legal association with whom, and maintain its “self defence” forces,but you can bet your bottom dollar that kiev will not assist them, so who legally can without upsetting further the national and international scene?

jj- To answer only one question: According to Minsk-2 Donbass controls her own border w Russia until all Minsk conditions are met. (Dont hold your breath) That means there’s no problem supplying ammo. Also tank mfg plants are in Kharkov, which might soon become part of Donbass. In any case Donbass has a LOT of tanks now & so far they’ve tended to use them sparingly.

Thanks you Denis for your fascinating input. Since I support the people of the Donbass in their efforts to free themselves from the goon squads in Kiev I’m cheered by any problems Porkyshenko and his “ATO” run into. The success of the separatists is based on what you describe plus they have the moral highground on this. So glad to have he Saker for valuable information not available in the BS western media.

sadly, serbian army announced that they will sell old weapon including tanks because we do not need it!? so, guess where it will go … brothers please don’t be angry on Serbia! we are at the moment completely occupied by vaticanato :(

Join the Crowd ; i.e Greece.
We had “Right Wing” Traitors. (ND + PASOK )
We have “Left Wing” Traitors. (SYRIZA + ANEL) (I know, I know, I have to wait, to see it act upon it)
But do not fool yourselves.
They are part of the Same Old Rotten BIRD (NATO + EU)
Actions speak louder than words.
But throughout all the Greek bloggs Greeks are FOR the Novorussians and against NATO.
And all Parties promised in one way or another to leave NATO and always we are part of the Criminal Organisation that kill maim an torture civilians.
I hope SYRIZA is their LAST ditch attempt to hold out in Greece.

For this if no other reason, the fascist junta must go,no mercy,no pity for them and all their stooges:

“Kiev authorities are going to demolish the monument to the Hero of the Soviet Union General Vatutin. This is the media reported Vatutin daughter 85-year-old Elena.
How to tell the general’s daughter, who lives in Prague, she received a call from the office of the National Security Council and was told that in the Mikhailovsky park in Kiev plan to dismantle the monument. And since the monument stands on the grave Vatutin, the difficulty lies in the exhumation of the body. Therefore, the government representative n redlozhil Elena Nikolaevna independently collect the remains, otherwise – you dug up and taken to the crematorium.

After receiving this shocking information relatives Vatutin called the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, which really confirmed that on the eve of the 70th anniversary of the Victory prepares removal of the monument.

Obviously, in order to save face in front of their European counterparts, the Kiev authorities are awaiting the consent of relatives to exhume, they just demolish Soviet monuments in Ukraine have already learned.
Relatives Vatutin would like to move the grave of General in Russia, for example, to bury the remains in Moscow next to the grave of his mother.

Nikolai Vatutin – Soviet military leader, Hero of the Soviet Union, General of the Army, a talented strategist of the Great Patriotic War. Under his command the 1st Ukrainian Front had successfully Battle of Kiev, which resulted in the November 6, 1943 the capital of Ukraine was liberated from the Nazi invaders.
It is worth noting that General Vatutin died at the hands of Ukrainian Nationalists UPA February 29, 1944 in Rivne region fired from ambush his car. As a result of his injuries later and developed gangrene April 15, 1944, he died.”

head finance Kiev says most of 5$ billion IMF loan will be spent on military things I think she said??, certainly $3.8b on american arms supplies:surely this invalidates the loan.
I would think that many items could enhance the basic vehicle supplies eg Saxon, enough to give an edge for AFU equipment, over the captured tanks etc that the AFN have rebuilt.

AFU seems to be digging in re Mariupol, could be getting more serious here to make a provocation.

Excellent article detailing far more than the state of tanks in Ukraine and is likely applicable to all sectors of Ukrainian military. Bottom line: Ukraine’s ability to mount a successful offensive is nil.

A journalist who worked for Radio Liberty for 25 years was dismissed after publishing a video of an exhumation of four bodies in Donbas. The civilians were killed by the Aidar battalion, the reporter said.

Radio Liberty/Radio Free Europe dismissed its military correspondent in eastern Ukraine Andrei Babitsky after he published a video showing bodies of civilians, allegedly killed by the Ukrainian armed forces, Czech Lidove Noviny newspaper reported Sunday.

“I recorded an exhumation of four bodies – two civilians and two fighters. The locals said that they were not independence supporters, but civilians residing in the Novosvitlivka village. They were killed by volunteers from Ukrainian Aidar battalion,” Babitsky said as quoted by the newspaper, adding that the recording was made in September 2014.

The reporter claimed he did not make any comments on the video before sending it to the Moldova’s Radio Liberty office.

“The video was published on the website. Right after that, the nationalists sitting in the Ukrainian Radio Liberty’s office, got hysterical. The huge scandal erupted,” Babitsky said.

Andrei Babitsky worked for Radio Liberty for 25 years. He previously was a correspondent in the Northern Caucasus and strongly criticized Russian authorities during the war in Chechnya. However, he supported Moscow’s policy regarding the Crimean peninsula and Crimea’s reunification with Russia.

For his stance on the matter, Radio Liberty earlier dismissed the reporter from work for a month.

Nothing like the West’s “freedom of speech” and “journalistic integrity” they like to mouth about.You would think by now the tongues in their mouths would shrivel up ,overwhelmed by all those lies they tell.

In the zionised, fascist “west”, words like freedom & liberty now mean subservience to power. In the USA, they now call the return to slavery enforcement laws “right to work” in the zionazi/corporate fascist PR. Literally, the mentality of a John Wayne Gacy sold as free will and altruism.

‘Looks like Stalin’s attitude towards the Crimean issue had changed over the years. The situation in the early 1920’s was desperate in the USSR and investments based on the idea of Jewish resettlement to Crimea (which came from the US) were welcome. Also it was welcomed by prominent Jews and their relatives inside the Soviet establishment.

At the time there was no Israel, and the Jews were literally homeless, but very numerous in the USSR.’

……

Thus the largest financial and political families in America – Rockefeller, Marshall, Warburg, Roosevelt, Hoover, and others became the holders of the shares of land in Crimea.’

There are quite a few bombshells in this doc which, IMO, deserve a seperate dicussion topic.

The Obama administration is dropping its plans to reduce the amount of U.S. forces in Afghanistan to 5,500 by the end of the year (2015), significantly altering the timeline which officials had said would see troops largely withdraw from the country by 2016, according to reports.

In fact, officials say, the administration could allow up to 9,800 American troops to remain in Afghanistan well into next year’s “fighting season.”

The German military company Rheinmetall called on the federal government to compensate its losses as result of a prohibited deal with Russia, according to the German newspaper “Süddeutsche Zeitung.”

Last year, German Minister for Economic Affairs, Siegmar Gabriel, banned the construction of a military training center in Russia as well as the delivery of all necessary equipment.

The establishment of the military training center was agreed upon in 2011. The deal was approved by German authorities and all equipment was produced and prepared for supply.

The delivery was prohibited at the last minute as a means of pressuring Russia in response to the the events in Ukrainian events. Thus, the German Minister of Economic Affairs went even beyond EU sanctions against Russia, the newspaper writes, causing severe financial damage to the German company.

The group has asked for compensation in the amount of 120 million euros. The application is currently being considered by German authorities.

What if this snowballs and other outfits who suffered losses due to the ZPC/NWO sanctions imposed upon Russia decide to hold their regimes responsible and demand restitution? Obviously, the quisling regimes wont be able to pay, and certainly their Israeli and American rulers would never allow it, anyway. “Either with us or against us” – the zionazi mentality, you know.

CSIS documentary re western assessment of Russia’s hybrid war in Ukraine, POTOMAC foundation-maybe only useful to understand how eluded western paranoia is, eg “claims “of two divisions wiped out by russian thermo-barric warheads…………….

The requirement for the European Parliament President Martin Schulz an investigation into the French “National Front” on suspicion of misuse of funds from the EU budget is “clumsy machination” on the eve of elections, said party leader Marine Le Pen.

“Not only I, but also all the accusations raised by employees intend to go to court for slander,” – said Le Pen, reports Tass with reference to the French press.

Le Pen insists that the “National Front” “nothing to reproach myself.” Moreover, she is convinced that it is a “political machination”, Schultz started “on the order of” French Prime Minister Manuel Valls on the eve of elections to the French local authorities (22 and 29 March).

“This little political machinations of a few days before the election starts to get a little clumsy. I understand that at this moment we must at all costs and by all available means imaginable to try to blacken Natsfronta. This will not change the results of the elections, “- said Le Pen.

With the US war mongers pushing for more “lethal aid” and sanctions against Russia, it must be the US military-industrial complex’s wet dream to push the former Soviet-bloc Nato members to sell their Soviet-era equipment to Kiev, and then have those same ex-Warsaw Pact Nato members replace their tanks with M1A3 Abrams. Perhaps that is where they are hoping the EU’s newly created QE euros will end up, into American jobs.

On a side note, I am curious to see if Putin is willing to counter US weapons supplies to the Kiev junta with “loans” of the newest T-14 Armatas, Ka-50s, and S-400s to Novorossia.

It is reported that “44-year-old woman who worked as a chief editor of the city newspaper” Netishinsky Herald “, was found dead this morning in his apartment in the city Netishin her sister.”

“At the initial examination obvious signs of violent death in the deceased’s body was found,” – said on the site management.

“At the moment, the scene works investigative team Netishinskogo City Police Department and the experts of the regional crime lab. The cause of death of the victim will only be after the forensic examination, “- said in a statement.

Recall, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Ukraine continues to hunt for dissidents and journalists.

On Sunday, the SBU reported on the detention of the operator channel “TV New Russia”.

5 March it became known that the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry accreditation stopped all Russian media. Persecution exposed and Ukrainian press.

In addition, journalists working in Ukraine at the risk of life. The main source of danger for them were Ukrainian troops. The actions of security forces have been killed employees RTR Igor Kornelyuk and Anton Voloshin, the operator of Channel One Anatoly swear , Italian journalist Andy Rokkelli and translator Andrei Mironov, as well as a photojournalist MIA “Russia Today” Andrew Stenin .

From the perspective of military analysis, this seems well done. But I keep thinking about the human beings in those destroyed tanks and their families. How quickly in our tech expertise we forget the human cost. What a fine business tanks are for the tank minded, and to think that this is but one small part of the military industrial complex. I don’t know about you but I think about these matters in the light of reason and responsibility. The horrors start with think tanks and end with tomb tanks for charred remains of what was once living persons. For what? Glory? Money? Justice? I’m just saying what I’m thinking and presenting another point of view. And I’m thinking there’s something terribly wrong going on. I ought to think about it and find the causes before those causes find me. More at thelovegovernment.com. Thanks for filling in the gap of the saker’s absence; although not so long or newsworthy as Putin’s.

does not abut venezuela, but that recent failed coup against maduro feb 20 appx & those joint russian military manoeuvers there say something is close, & they’re warning.
and they wonder why the neocons have such a hate on for correa!

here’s just one, from 2006:
nbcnews.com/id/31971193/ns/world_news-americas/

I see a remote dacha outfitted with everything needed to govern while resting and devising plans for the next round, particularly now that I know about the failed Macedonian coup. Putin will see deep meaning in the fact that the “Kill Russians” comment wasn’t excoriated by Obama or another from his administration, and that the provocateur was allowed to repeat its message. Since Minsk2 is also a UNSC resolution, Kiev’s breaking it will allow Putin to use the UNSC card. Sure, the Outlaw Empire will veto any attempted sanctions regime, but at great political cost. Oh to be a fly on that dacha’s walls!

The intention of the nuclear forces of the UK preparing a first strike against the Federation, this report says, was revealed by Federal Security Services (FSB) electronic intelligence experts working in conjunction with Kaspersky Lab who discovered last month a massive US National Security Agency (NSA) cyber espionage programme targeting not just Russia, but everyone else on Earth.

Both the FSB and Kaspersky Lab experts, the MoD reports, were able to swiftly reverse engineer the computer code(s) involved in this massive NSA spying operation which then enabled them to electronically obtain the launching codes and coordinates of all the UK’s nuclear weapons showing their plan to launch a first strike against the Federation during the week of 15 March.

US Secretary of State said in an interview that Washington will eventually have to negotiate with the Syrian leader.

Central Intelligence Agency Wises Up: Brennan Says Assad Better for Syria Than ISIL
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The United States will have to negotiate with Syrian President Bashar Assad after all, US Secretary of State John Kerry told CBS News on Sunday.

Bob Simon, one of the most famous journalists American officials, star presenter of the show reports “60 Minutes” on CBS, died in a car accident, February 12, 2015 in New York.

David Carr, media critic for the New York Times, died of a stroke in the newspaper office, 12 February 2015 at the age of 58 years. His former drug addiction explain the fragility of his health.

Ned Colt, a former reporter for NBC, employed since 2009 by humanitarian organizations, died of a heart attack, February 13, 2015 in Boston, at the age of 58 years.

The three men had formed with a fourth, the former host of “NBC Nightly News’ Brian Williams, a report on September 11, 2001. They were in contact with the Kremlin had given free access to their archives this revealed El Patagónico (Chile).

On February 10, two days before the death of three journalists, Pravda (Russia) had assured that President Putin had hired a showdown with his counterpart unien-states and threatening to reveal his papers on September 11 if continued to intervene in Ukraine. However, our correspondents in Moscow failed to obtain confirmation of this.

In summer 2005, the Duma Foreign Affairs Committee had prepared the disclosure of secret information on September 11, but was canceled at the last moment.

After the accidental death of three of the four team members, CBS gave up the story.

Looks like the opening inning of a good ol’ fashioned knife fight/brawl in Oz, where this scary scarecrow Bishop has been delaying and delaying at the behest of her masters, & now britain has jumped over them to the Asian pivot in banking.

Well, what’s a few more diggers on the dole anyway, to them?

Public reports all indicate that Foreign Minister Bishop has lobbied to delay Australia becoming a foundational member of the AIIB, on grounds advanced by the US that it does not match the governance standards of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

I think it’s pretty safe to assume “British” interest in the AIIB is a Rothschild/zionazi/Israeli attempt to get their foot in the door to manipulate their policies, as they do all the western versions.

As for the Israeli-American Oz quislings, they are politically so far up pindo arse, they forgot how to spell labour.

Gradually, the European elites have aligned with their counterparts across the Atlantic. Everywhere, people are worried about being abandoned by their States and they question their institutions. Seeking to retain power, the elites are now ready to use force to gag their opposition.

Not to be outdone, Harpoon here is looking to pass C-51 ramming it through parliament, & before the oct/2015 “election”.

Don’t know what’s happening currently in Russia. Or with Putin. It’s all very confusing and worrisome. Hope and pray all is well. Not just for Russia and her people. But for humanity in general. I believe Russia/Putin to be world leaders of moral conscience. Far surpassing my own country in that regard. All seekers of truth hope for good to prevail. And that’s my hope too. For mankind. Godspeed to all fellow seekers…

Turns out Fulford’s stuff is posted here, like Booth’s aka Sorcha Faal used to be.

Jogged my memory that about 3 or 4 weekends ago, the CIA Langley was on full lockdown for 1 or 2 days, while all kinds of stories floated out there.

Problem is of course it all looks like garbage spun out of thin air, because there’s never any proof or substantiation on any of these “events”. No witnesses’ statements, no legal follow-up.
————————————————————————-
The other sign that it is not business as usual was re-organization of the CIA that was announced last week. The CIA is now under the control of the Defense Intelligence Agency, according to Asia based CIA sources. The contents of the reorganization and the new mission statement of that agency are all in line with Pentagon thinking. Just who was purged from that agency has not been made public but CIA sources say the top ranks of the formerly Bush controlled Directorate of Operations have changed. This has cleared the way for a further purge of the Washington D.C. cesspool.
——————————————————————————-
The Rothschild family and their allies have been recently burning historical archives in order to cover up the circumstances under which the League of Nations and the United Nations were created, according to Russian FSB sources. The first was a fire at a library in Russia on January 30th that contained ancient historical Slavic documents. Then next was one at a documents warehouse in Brooklyn, New Jersey on January 31st. According to the Russians, the destroyed documents contained evidence that Czar Nicholas II donated gold to set up the League of Nations Trust before World War I began.http://www.fourwinds10.net/siterun_data/government/new_world_order/news.php?q=1425917540

And Ukrainian soldiers who don’t feel like shooting their own people may have a hand in breakdowns on the field as well. This is one big fubar that Nuland pulled off. And they can’t hire Blackwater type outfits according to the Minsk agreement. Even the US is NOT supposed to be there although they didn’t sign the agreement Kiev did.

The Orwellian concept of ‘information warfare’ holds that propaganda can break down enemies and decide geopolitical outcomes, a strategy that has taken hold of the U.S. government’s approach to international crises, especially the Ukraine showdown

By Ray McGovern

March 15, 2015 “ICH” – “Consortium News” – CIA Director John Brennan told TV host Charlie Rose on Friday that, on assuming office, President Barack Obama “did not have a good deal of experience” in intelligence-related matters, adding – with remarkable condescension – that now “he has gone to school and understands the complexities.”

If that’s the case, I would strongly suggest that Obama switch schools. Judging from his foreign policy team’s inept and increasingly dangerous actions regarding Ukraine and the endless stream of dubious State Department and senior military cry-wolf accusations of a Russian “invasion,” Obama might be forgiven for being confused by the “complexities.”
[…]

As far as understanding the complexities, however, the typical Bronx shopkeeper or Manhattan cabby of my youth seemed to have a better grasp of reality, gangsters, and scams. Even the Italian deli owner in NJ could give Obama a good education. Don’t even talk about the people from Brooklyn! It’s what was called ‘street smart’

But maybe those days are over now and they’ve all succumbed to the evil Vulcans’ mind-meld? Or they are just laying low, for lack of something better?

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